Indian Runner Duck _ She is trying to push something

[rakeshkarthik]

Hi everyone,

I am reaching out from Indonesia regarding a situation with my three-month-old Indian runner ducks, consisting of one male and two females. Recently, I have noticed some unusual behavior from one of the female ducks (white and brown in the middle). She occasionally leans horizontally and seems to be attempting to expel something from her rear. She remains still when I approach her. I have observed that her vent area appears reddish, and there is a white sticky liquid leaking whenever she does that. It seems like she is trying to defecate or push something out, although I don't believe it could be an egg since she is only three months old. I would greatly appreciate any advice or guidance you can provide.

Please note: I feed them 3 times with the usual duck feed from the store + Greens and vegetables. I also give them Niacin with B-complex every day along with their food. I have a small pond in my garden with fresh water that I change twice a day for my ducks. Interestingly, they no longer use the coop I built for them to sleep in. Since there are no other threats in our area except for the occasional presence of cats, they have taken to considering my entire garden as their own home, both for living and sleeping (in the shade). lol.

I have been an avid reader of this community and it has been instrumental in helping me learn how to care for my ducks. Thank you all so much for the valuable information.

 

[nuthatched]

@Miss Lydia
Any idea?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Almost sounds like she is having a hormonal change when will she be 4 months old. When my Runners became sexually active they were about 4 months old they would lay horizontally for anything that walked by them, and a little white liquid would run out of their vent.
Has the drake been showing her any attention yet? My girls matured faster than my drake and they were after him continually laying horizontally for him, or my goose or my Muscovy drake didn't matter to them lol

 

[rakeshkarthik]

Whoa, my ducks are growing faster than I thought! I still had this mental image of them as adorable ducklings with feathers, but they've definitely moved beyond that stage, lol.
My boy seems totally uninterested in any romantic endeavors for now (just interested in food). And as for the white feathered one, she's just 70 days old.

So, is there a chance she'll be ready to lay eggs in a few days since she is mature? any tips on what I should do to get them ready? I've heard that runner ducks are quite particular about building their own little nests for laying eggs. I just hope they won't pick random spots in the garden, turning my mornings into an egg-hunting expedition!

@Miss Lydia

 

[Miss Lydia]

She'll lay soon when she is around 4-5 months old. She's still young. They both are.

Have oyster shells ready to put out for her when she hits 4 months old and a good feed
My Runners when they first started laying would let the egg fall out just about anywhere
that was their first couple years. Now they lay inside their coop. Pleanty of deep shavings is all they need mine make their own nests.

 

[rakeshkarthik]

Hi @Miss Lydia

Continuing from our previous conversation in the thread regarding my girl Indian Runner got matured. Now it seems like my boy duck reached maturity a couple of weeks ago. He's been attempting to mate with the two girls, but I haven't seen any success so far. The issue now is that he has become increasingly aggressive towards me. He constantly chases me and tries to bite my legs, shoes, and fingers. It was sad to learn that he is trying to mate with my shoes and feet, as mentioned in another forum post.

I've tried using a broomstick to deter him, but he's no longer afraid of it. I even attempted to put him in a cage for a few minutes, hoping to teach him a lesson, but no use. I also tried to make him sit on top of his girls, he seems clueless.

It's becoming quite an intense experience whenever I walk through my garden, feeling like a scene from Jurassic Quack, lol.

I wanted to ask for your advice on how to stop his aggressive mating behavior towards me. How long can I expect this behavior to last? Additionally, how can I encourage him to focus his attention on his female companions?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Boy they can really go nuts when the hormones hit.
Do you have a hose handy when he is acting like this? When my Runner drake goes after the Muscovy female I spray him down with the hose. I don't hit him in the face with it but a couple of good blasts to his chest area stops him. Of course it isn't a one time thing.
You act aggressively towards him, meaning when he comes after you turn the tables and go after him act like you are going to pick him up by bending over with your arms open, Don't stop until he gets the message you mess with me and I will get you and snuggle. Most important is don't run or act afraid. you be the aggressor. Actually i wouldn't even wait till he is coming after me I'd just go after him as soon as you step into the garden. Make it a game, I am going to get you lol. You are letting him know your in charge not him.

 

[rakeshkarthik]

Much Appreciated Miss Lydia.

Haha Sure, Gotta get creative with these duckeys. But it is strange that he let me pick when he is aggressive, normally they won't even let us touch a single feather. And you're right, the water hose might not be available handy, but I'll definitely try the other suggestions you mentioned. It is really helpful.

Thank you so much @Miss Lydia

 

[Miss Lydia]

Keep us updated.

 

[rakeshkarthik]

Hi, One of my girls started laying eggs, it is been a week. Felt so happy & I couldn't have done it without your support, @Miss Lydia , and this amazing community. You've been incredibly supportive, especially when I was clueless about how to raise them. Thank you!

& Regarding the aggressive boy, Oh god, I tried to pin the boy down every day whenever he attacks me & he is still aggressive to me and not allowing any neighbor's chickens into our garden. It's gotten so bad that he even went after our poor kitty recently. To address the situation, I created a designated area in my garden, about the size of two parking lots. I built a DIY-style fence using the loose nylon net, standing at a height of one meter. I also set up a new pond and some shade within this area. I moved the ducks inside, but it's only been a day, and they're already attempting to escape by moving or even flying out of the fence. Here's where I need your advice. They've grown accustomed to the entire garden as their territory, and I'm not quite sure how to handle this. I don't want to resort to clipping their wings. My main goals are to have a designated spot for collecting eggs, as they're currently laid randomly every day, and I wanted to introduce a few chickens to the garden, & definitely, my boy will attack them .